A Family Should Be Neat and Complete!

Could it be...

Could it be, my ass!

Under the cover of night, Cheng Xiao darted swiftly through the forest. Recalling his conversation with Zhu Zhuqing, a faint sneer appeared on his lips. He did not believe there was any Martial Soul resonance between him and Zhu Zhuqing.

Cheng Xiao knew exactly what his own Martial Souls were like.

What kind of Martial Soul dared claim to be on the same level as his?

There was no precedent for the Shadow King and Destruction King, but they were undoubtedly God-tier Martial Souls.

For someone to resonate with his Martial Soul, they would at least need to be on the Silver Dragon King's level, right? A mere Hell Spirit Cat? It would be a miracle if it had Martial Soul resonance with him.

When he sensed the inexplicable meaning in Zhu Zhuqing's gaze, Cheng Xiao had vaguely guessed that some mistake had caused her to misunderstand.

Thus, after Zhu Zhuqing mentioned Martial Soul resonance, Cheng Xiao calmly probed, "How did you know about Martial Soul resonance? Have you experienced it before?"

"I only learned about it from books passed down in my family. I have never experienced it." Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, her eyes somewhat confused.

She had awakened her Martial Soul at the age of six, but less than two years later, Dai Mubai had left the Star Luo Empire. Restricted by imperial rules, she and Dai Mubai had met only a handful of times and had never had the chance to attempt a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Therefore, her understanding of Martial Soul Fusion Skills and Martial Soul resonance still remained on paper.

"According to the records, Martial Soul resonance occurs when two people with an exceptionally high degree of compatibility touch, and their thoughts synchronize for a single moment, allowing them to feel a stirring from their Martial Souls."

Having said this much, Zhu Zhuqing said no more. She felt Cheng Xiao should understand what she meant. With two servants beside them, she could not continue.

Cheng Xiao suddenly understood. So that was it—he understood what Zhu Zhuqing was implying.

But he remained unmoved, because at the moment he had touched Zhu Zhuqing, he had not felt the slightest stirring from his Martial Soul.

He had merely been surprised that a cold girl like Zhu Zhuqing had kindly stepped in to save him, never expecting her to misunderstand.

As for Zhu Zhuqing's feelings, Cheng Xiao believed that, at the instant they touched, his Shadow King or Destruction King Martial Soul might have exerted some sort of intimidation upon the Hell Spirit Cat, causing her Martial Soul to produce an unusual flicker.

Since Zhu Zhuqing had never experienced genuine Martial Soul resonance, she had mistaken it for such.

But all of that was merely Cheng Xiao's speculation. As for the truth, he neither cared nor concerned himself with it. Instead, he could make use of this point to achieve his own goal.

Thus, in their subsequent conversation, Cheng Xiao deliberately, yet casually, steered the topic toward things like "family" and "loyalty."

Zhu Zhuqing rarely spoke so much with anyone. Normally, she said very little, but having encountered someone who seemingly shared Martial Soul resonance with her, she felt she should not give up, and her words became more numerous.

No matter how mature Zhu Zhuqing was, she was only ten years old. Thus, under Cheng Xiao's deliberate yet subtle guidance, she finally bit her lip. After hesitating for a long while, a rare flush appeared on her cold, pale cheeks as she extended an offer to Cheng Xiao.

"Since you have no family, why not return to the Star Luo Empire with me and pledge loyalty to the Zhu... pledge loyalty to me?"

Dai Mubai's unannounced departure had left her in despair for quite some time. Without a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, she had no possibility of standing against Zhu Zhuyun alone. Now, someone who could potentially replace him had appeared. If they could truly perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, he might become her trump card for survival in the future.

Zhu Zhuqing had not said to pledge loyalty to the Zhu Family. Instead, she had asked him to pledge loyalty to her personally, because she wanted the boy before her to belong to her alone.

Otherwise, if he merely pledged loyalty to the Zhu Family, it would be difficult to say which side he would stand on when she and Zhu Zhuyun clashed.

"..." Cheng Xiao's lips twitched. She really was not subtle at all.

He pretended to hesitate, only nodding after Zhu Zhuqing explained the treatment offered by the Zhu Family. "All right..."

In an instant, a delighted smile bloomed across Zhu Zhuqing's frost-like face, like sunlight piercing through clouds and melting ice and snow.

The two servants were briefly dazed, seemingly captivated by the beauty she had revealed. But the next moment, they snapped awake, disbelief appearing on their faces. They had actually seen the Second Miss smile?

Wasn't it just some brat pledging loyalty? What was so special about this kid?

The two servants exchanged a look. It seemed they would have to report this news to the family head later.

After Cheng Xiao agreed to pledge loyalty, the group became less wary and distant toward one another. Under Cheng Xiao's intentional attempts to get closer, the two servants also began to view him somewhat more favorably.

By late at night, Cheng Xiao took the initiative to volunteer for watch duty. Seeing how sensible he was, the two servants felt a little embarrassed and hesitated over whether they should still tell the family head.

They patted Cheng Xiao on the shoulder, telling him that in the future, they would have his back in Zhu Manor, and that if anyone gave him trouble, he could come to them. Then, the two entered the tent.

Once they had fallen asleep, Cheng Xiao tested the situation. Finding that none of the three showed any movement, he quietly slipped away. After putting some distance between himself and the camp, he broke into a sprint toward the Dreadclaw Bear.

As for pledging loyalty, he tossed it completely out of his mind. He felt no psychological burden whatsoever about deceiving a little girl. In his previous life, he had been tricking little girls out of their first kisses since the age of three. This was nothing.

I hope I'm not too late!

Cheng Xiao released fourteen soul beasts to clear the way and rushed toward his target. But when he arrived, he did not see the Dreadclaw Bear's corpse.

"No way... was I too late?" Cheng Xiao's heart sank.

He scanned the area and saw deep dragging marks on the ground. Cheng Xiao hurriedly followed them. Before he had gone far, he smelled an intense stench of blood. After walking several dozen more steps and pushing aside a thicket, his view suddenly opened up, revealing nothing but mangled soul beast corpses!

"Damn, this many?!"

His gaze swept across the numerous remains, and he saw the Dreadclaw Bear lying on the ground, barely alive. Aside from the wounds Zhu Mo had inflicted, its body bore many bites from other soul beasts, clearly caused by soul beasts drawn in by the scent of blood.

Unfortunately, none of those soul beasts had been strong enough. They could not even take down the severely injured Dreadclaw Bear, and in the end, all of them had been killed by it instead.

"Tsk, tsk..." Cheng Xiao repeatedly clicked his tongue at the Dreadclaw Bear's ferocity.

Seemingly hearing something, the Dreadclaw Bear's ears twitched and its nose twitched. The beast, which had already been on the verge of death, suddenly rose as though making a final burst of strength. It let out an enraged roar, its savage eyes abruptly locking onto Cheng Xiao.

Roar!

The Dreadclaw Bear rose onto its hind legs, only to collapse again because its rear legs had no strength left. Yet it still roared as it crawled toward Cheng Xiao on three legs, looking as though it wanted to tear him apart and swallow him whole.

"What is this? It was the same before, and it's the same now. You're specifically targeting me, aren't you?" Cheng Xiao stared at the Dreadclaw Bear's eyes, which were fixed on him, completely baffled.

When the Dreadclaw Bear stood up and revealed the Crystal Bear's corpse hidden in the nest behind it, Cheng Xiao suddenly understood.

"These two were mates?!"

Watching the Dreadclaw Bear hop and lunge toward him, Cheng Xiao grinned, exposing his gleaming white teeth. With a wave of his hand, fourteen soul beasts, like demons crawling out of hell, surrounded and protected him.

And at the very front was the Crystal Bear!

This was Cheng Xiao's twisted sense of humor. "Since they're a family, they should be neat and complete!"

Thanks to Xiao Hu Lei, Qi Ran Ya, and reader 202300211225335149 for the tips.

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